UNDERSTANDING THE LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO

L A G O T T O L A DY K E N N E L S

01: Understanding Lagotto Romagnolo

The Lagotto is such a remarkable breed that those of us who have them love them dearly.

Those of you who are just learning about the breed through reading about them, researching

on the web, or meeting them in person will be fascinated by them I am sure. The real challenge

is in learning to judge them. As they are a relatively new breed here in the show ring in

Canada, their fine points are not well known.

So the question is: What do we need to know about this breed to judge them correctly and fairly

as a true representative of the breed? You will find vast differences in both temperament and

structure, so it is important to know what a Lagotto should look like and how it should behave.

This first article discusses structure and provides a basic description of what a Lagotto should look

and move like in today’s show ring. Of course people have their own individual preferences on

the build of a Lagotto, but I will try to keep my personal opinion out of this and try to simplify the

breed standard of today.

Lagotto Romagnolo are a medium-small size dog of rustic appearance; stout and very

well-proportioned, with thick, curly hair of woolly texture. Lagottos should be square

in body with long legs (their legs being a fraction longer than elbow to shoulder

measurement). It is important they are balanced and square regardless of whether they

are of a very stocky build or a little more elegant in structure — as they were hundreds

of years ago. The top line should be horizontal and straight from whither to croup.

The shoulder should be very well angulated with their front legs not set back too far to

allow for great reach in movement. Hocks must be long, and should be perpendicular

to the ground to allow for “drive”. Lagotto are often under, or over angulated behind, or

move too close in their hock, which are faults. Another very common fault is when their

lower leg is rotated outwards causing them to be “Cow hocked”, this is prevalent within

the breed.

The tail should be set neither too high, nor too low, and should barely reach the hock

when hanging. At rest the tail should be carried “scimitar like” (very slight curl at end)

and when attentive, decidedly raised. When working – or excited – it can be carried over

the back but never held overly curled.

Examples of correct build

01: Understanding Lagotto

Romagnolo

Correct Build

The head of the Lagotto should be moderately large in comparison to the body. The

muzzle should be very broad and almost half the total length of the head. Their nose

large with broad open nostrils with the median groove being very pronounced. The

reason for a short, wide muzzle with large nostrils is quite simple.... better for smell!

This is after all a working breed relying on smell, so a muzzle that is long, narrow and

pointed is obviously a major fault. Due to the importance of the muzzle being relatively

short, scissor, level, and reverse scissor bite (within 3mm) are acceptable within the

standard. An overshot jaw is not acceptable.

When you look into the eyes of a Lagotto you should have the feeling of seeing a

human gaze. The eyes should be large, round and wide apart. The colour of the iris

ranges from ochre to dark hazel and brown, depending on the colour of their coat.

For example: In white or orange dogs the iris will be lighter and so will their nose than

that of a roan or brown Lagotto. Lagotto puppies often have blue to light green eyes

which will darken as they grow older. It is important to remember that a Lagotto

should never have black pigmentation.

Examples of correct head

Correct Head01: Understanding Lagotto

Romagnolo

With regards to movement, this is a working dog and their movement should be happy and

lively. It is important that each stride is effortless and covering a lot of ground to make their

work easier on them. This is where the structure of the dog is important as how they are

built will determine how they will move. Lagotto should have a lot of reach with their front

legs and drive from their rear legs and they should move straight.

The coat is one of the most important features of Lagotto and should always be rustic

in appearance and not over groomed. When touched it should feel wool-like although

the coarseness, or softness, can vary depending on colour and age. The coat should be

dense, with the curls tight and evenly distributed over the body and legs, except for the

head where curls tend to open up a little more. There should be abundant whiskers, beard

and eyebrows. Even the cheeks are covered with thick hair. Lagotto pups have a very soft

coat with not an abundance of curl generally. I have found that pups develop their adult

coats at different ages all the way up to adulthood but this usually begins around one year

of age. The first changes normally start on the croup where the coat will become curlier

and courser. Their legs and head coat will be the last to come in.

Pictures of a white Lagotto from 8 weeks to 2 years of age showing coat development.

Movement & Coat01: Understanding Lagotto

Romagnolo

Finally I thought I should bring up the discussion about color in this breed as the preferred colours seem

to be changing in recent days from what was most desired over the course of history of this breed.

So what are the true and original colours of this breed? What colours were most common centuries

ago, and as recent as a few decades ago, and why? These are questions we must consider and

understand as we move forward with the Lagotto. It is important to realize that other breeds were

introduced to the gene pool to save the breed in the not too distant past so we must look to the

Lagotto before this period of change.

The original colours of the Lagotto are thought by many authorities to have been white; white with

orange and white with brown. To this day these are still generally the preferred colours for a working

Lagotto although brown roan and brown are being used much more often than just a decade ago.

The reason for light coloured Lagotto being preferred is simple if you think about it.... so you can see

them when they are working in the field at night or in the early morning. As a working breed this was

very important.

The introduction of solid brown into the breed is speculated by some to have appeared in more recent

times when Lagotto were crossed with other water dogs many years ago. It is still unclear if the colour

brown roan came about through the introduction of other genes or developed over generations

from Lagotto carrying the ticking gene or was always there. I, personally hazard to guess that just a

few decades ago the majority of Lagotto in the world where white or white with orange or white with

brown. Things have changed.

The modern day Lagotto range in coat colour from white or white orange, white brown or brown with

white, brown roan, brown and tan and finally brown — with all being accepted colours within the breed

today. The shades of these colours can vary greatly as the dog matures and often change year to year

throughout their life.

In this first article I have addressed only structure — and that only briefly. The history of structure,

including colour, is only one small part of the composite equation for this breed. Next time let’s do

temperament and working ability, or grooming. Your choice ... please comment.

My hope is that we can protect this breed here in Canada by understanding its heritage and knowing and

preserving their outstanding qualities. I believe it is important to appreciate each and every Lagotto for

who they are as individuals, remembering there is no perfect dog, whether they are champions or not.

Lagotto Romagnolo Club of Canada

The Lagotto Romagnolo — Series 01: Understanding the Lagotto Romagnolo

Written by Bridget Flynn; Designed by Kathy Haglöf. This and future articles are proudly brought to you by the Lagotto Romagnolo Club of Canada.

© Lagotto Romagnolo Club of Canada

Breed Colors01: Understanding Lagotto

Romagnolo

The name Lagotto derives from the breed’s original “career” as a water dog. In the local dialect of the Romagna “Càn Lagòt” is synonymous with “water dog” or “wetland hunting dog with crimped, curly coat”. A sharp aptitude for searching, a steep learning curve and an unbeatable sense of smell, would, in time, make the Lagotto a very efficient truffle-finder.

Over the decades, land reclamation steadily shrunk the immense wetlands of Comacchio and other parts of the Romagna. The “Vallaroli“ practically disappeared and the Lagotto gradually lost it’s function as a water dog and specialized more and more in truffle finding. The transition took place between 1840 and 1890. Between the two world wars, almost all truffle dogs in the Romagna and surrounding areas were Lagotti.

As far back as 1920 the Lagotto was well known in the valleys of the Romagnolo Apennines, in the Valle del Senio, Valle del Lamone and especially in the Valle di Santerno. Back then no-one was interested in the Lagotto as a pure breed – the existing breeds were considered to be more than sufficient and the cross-breeds were often even more appreciated on account of their robustness, character and resistance to disease. Truffle hunters have always bred their dogs on an entirely empirical basis (outside of any genetic rules), taking into account only the immediate, practical outcome – a brilliant truffling dog, whether Lagotto or not.

The continued in-breeding of the Lagotto by the Valleroli of Comacchio, resulted in an ‘exhausted’ Lagotto in the Romagna valley. At the same time, repeated and ungrounded crosses with other breeds introduced much foreign blood into the breed. However, credit must be given where credit is due. The truffle hunters of that period did not let our Lagotto fall by the wayside. It has survived to this day – almost by a miracle – in a near-perfect phenotypic and genotypic form.

Towards the mid 1970s a group of Romagna-based dog lovers decided to save the breed, which risked extinction as a result of the incompetence, ignorance and negligence of owners. The group was led by the gentlemanly Quintino Toschi, President of the local dog society and the E.N.C.I. breeder and judge Prof. Francesco Ballotta (who still remembered the Lagotti of his youth perfectly). They were supported by the dog expert, judge and world-famous breeder, Dr. Antonio Morsiani and Lodovico Babini, a Romagna-born dog lover with extensive experience. They were to set a genetic reconstruction program in motion that would save the Lagotto from the one-way path to extinction. The reunification of the two parallel histories of the Lagotto – the one that took place in the wetlands and the one that took place on the Apennine hills – were to lay the basis for the renewed purity of the breed.

With the founding of the Club Italiano Lagotto (C.I.L. – Italian Lagotto Club) in Imola in 1988, which now has 300 members all over the world, a firm foundation for official acknowledgement of the breed by E.N.C.I. and F.C.I. was created. Official recognition by E.N.C.I., with approval of the morphological Standard drawn up by Dr. Antonio Morsiani (following years of biometric measurements on hundreds of subjects), was achieved in 1992. In 1995, thanks to the constant dedication of the Club and its technical committees, provisional international recognition by F.C.I. was won.

Lagotto Statue In the meantime the breed has enjoyed European and worldwide success and the number of puppies registered at the various F.C.I., British and American Kennel Clubs is constantly growing. For example, in Italy, 545 pups were registered in 1994 and nearly 900 in 2002 – a near-doubling of births in just 9 years. In countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Great Britain, USA and Australia the number of registered puppies has increased tenfold – and in some cases a hundredfold.

Lagotto Romagnolo Club of Canada

Brief History01: Understanding Lagotto

Romagnolo

Excerpted and adapted from

“Lagotto Romagnolo, International

Book of 2003; C.I.L”.

In order to safeguard and coordinate

proper morpho-functional selection at

the international level, 1997 saw the

establishment of U.M.LAG (World Union

of Lagotto Clubs – Unione Mondiale dei

Club Lagotto Romagnolo), the president

of which is Dr. Giovanni Morsiani. Lagotto

Clubs in the above-mentioned countries

are members of this association and there is

a constant stream of affiliation applications

from new clubs all over the world.

The main goal of U.M.LAG. is to ensure

the pure breeding of the Lagotto outside

the borders of its homeland. The various

national clubs should be informed about

changes in the breed standard and

working standard and about any breed

specific diseases or other problems. This

information exchange takes place mainly

at a technical seminar which is organized

during the yearly C.I.L. RADUNO. Ever

more often, national Lagotto clubs take the

initiative to communicate breed specific

information over their borders. Special

mention deserves to go to the world-wide

Lagotto data bank, created and maintained

by Laura Tanos of the Hungarian Lagotto

Club (www.lagotto.hu).